Research is proposed to study further the interactions between human memory and adult aging. The focus of the research is the hypothesis which attributes the memory deficit in the elderly to ineffective retrieval from both episodic memory (i.e., the autobiographical record of past experiences) and semantic memory i.e., the subjective lexicon containing concepts, meanings, and relations). Two experiments will investigate the retrieval deficit associated with episodic memory. In Experiment 1, differential effects of list length on the storage and retrieval processes of different aged subjects will be investigated. Experiment 2 will determine the conditions necessary for a pre-learned mnemonic device to alleviate the retrieval problem in episodic memory. Three additional experiments are designed to investigate possible differences in the nature of semantic memory due to age. In Experiment 3, category-conceptual norms will be developed, and these data will be used to infer the structure of semantic memory in the different age groups. Experiment 4 will measure the reaction time necessary to respond to questions asking for information stored in semantic memory. These results should reflect any differences due to age in the retrieval and utilization of semantic information. Experiment 5 will examine age differences in sentence memory and the ability of different age groups to abstract semantic information from sentences. Retrieval from memory involves search through memory on the basis of some feature of the information sought. Both temporal (episodic) and semantic attributes will be examined in the present research.